battery voltage question

lil red said

the voltage figures I get are from my meter. The guage is an alt. guage with D to the left and C to the right...I assumed this was voltage that shows charge or discharge

I have a deep cell in my boat that I know is good (checked it cell to cell with my meter) and will pick it up this weekend. The battery in the truck is only 3 yrs old....something makes me think that last year itested the voltage and was the same which made me question it this spring

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Hi,

It's not really voltage showing Charge or Discharge but current flow into or out off the battery.

If you left the battery in the truck unattended for the winter some unhelpful things can happen. If the battery becomes totally discharged and left in very cold temperatures it can freeze which can cause internal plate damage. The battery can also "sulfate" which causes loss of active plate area and battery capacity. Once sulfated, it is almost impossible to get that plate area back.

It's best to put a charger occasionally on a battery stored over the winter or put it on a special battery tender type charger. I suspect you will be replacing this battery.

Also, you mentioned a 110 amp alternator. If you are still using the original ammeter with that big alternator and a dead battery that could take very high charging currents, you are risking some burned wiring and a possible fire.